[.saved.by.grace.]

Talking about a girl’s life, which is saved in a graceful way by so-called 'being inspired'.

After a couple of weeks of a sudden, unplanned pause, I finally reconciled myself with Mr Steinberg (that is the name almost invisibly written on an old piece of paper glued inside my violin), and his second best friend (that is the pianist I’ve been working with these past 13 years). Finally went again to concerts, finally argued again with the pianist about which pieces we might practice, and finally felt the happiness just by staring at a set of Red-Label Thomastik-Infeld with gold plated chrome steel E-string. My fingers would be delightedly happy. And that precious rosewood Flesch-style chinrest! Mr Steinberg obviously needs some adjustments here and there especially the bridge and most possibly the soundpost. But it is still for me a beauty.

And so I ponder. These little happiness I must have taken for granted in the past. It’s true you never know what you’ll miss until you lose them. Subsequently I just learned that sometimes you don't know what you lose until some inspirations struck, wake you up, and urge you to recollect those lost sparks. For me, these pictures of my favourite lady-virtuosos have proved their magic…


Hilary Hahn

Viviane Hagner

Anne Sophie Mutter

[.i.heart.helen's.]

Ask me who my favorite illustrator is…and no doubt I will answer that it is a difficult question! I am a fan of many illustrators, especially children-book-style illustrators, but lately I’ve been letting my eyes feast on Helen Dardik’s artwork. I love everything about it. Her illustration, her patterned designs, her paintings…and especially her colours! Helen is also an avid blogger, and it’s just gorgeous. Orange-you-lucky, it’s called. Sounds like I can relate to it. I love orange, and I feel lucky to find her blog :-)

[.my.deco.tool.]

Newsletter from Domino Magazine came in my mailbox with a notice about the new decorating tool, My Deco File – a kind of online inspiration book to save decorating ideas and images we like.

Oh, that’s what I always wanted to have!

I just signed-up and started to create my first deco-book. This weekend my priority will be re-arranging and re-organising my bedroom cum craft and study room. I love cute boxes for storage, fabrics with nice prints, and of course as I just realised – I can’t live without colours!

Idea books are the perfect place for me to store images that inspire and catch my attention. In the real life, one has to deal with limited resources and to make the best out of what is available. But ideals, as quoted by Carl Schurz, are like stars: we may not be able to reach them, but like the seafaring men on the sea, we can use them as our guides.

How practical it is now with the internet! Thank you, Domino :-)

[.nostalgic.]

Earlier today I browsed my youngest sister's photo-snaps and I love this particular picture of her with my (our) dad in the late 80s. I don't know whether it feels retro or vintage, but there are two of the people I love the most in this world in the picture, so I just love it.





Then to my surprise I found this picture of little me sitting on my dad's Beetle, also with him. I don't really remember when exactly this picture was taken, but either in 1979 or 1980. Looking at this, how can I not be nostalgic..





And below are some more photo-snaps, also by my sister, which may illustrate a bit the daily life in our hometown Yogyakarta, seen through her eyes.

Thanks Nataya!



At the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta


A corner in our house



Veggie seller on the street


Coca-cola carts and crackers tin, in a street stall


Little tin ships, from a toy seller on the street


A neighbor's cat


Out of the city

[.new.school.graphics.part.1.]

Dear friends,






Thank you for being so patient with my lousy updates lately! I think I should have been able to manage my time more efficiently :-)

The fact is, I haven't been able to finish the whole new school graphics yet, but since you've been waiting so long for this, I thought of publishing the first part of the set with letterblocks, signboards, some tiles, dividers, etc.

There will be three or four parts in all (I haven't yet divided them) - they are almost ready but there are some things that I need to give some 'retouch' here and there. You will find the bears, boys and girls, and more cliparts and more tiles and more letterblocks (I started to really like letterblocks... that's why I just keep creating some now :-)). They will be up as soon as they are ready. Check it out in the member area.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the first part :-)

Have a great day!
Amreta

[.memories.on.display.]

I’m still mentally in an extended part of my previous trip to Sweden and France… Somehow I believe that life is a trip, in any case, and at the moment I’m in a stage where I can’t stop wondering what would be the best way to keep the ‘being inspired’ feeling I got while traveling on in my everyday life. Ah, displaying those memories captured by my camera. And I found that Domino has fresh ideas that would answer my wonderings. You see, my friends, I think I know what I’m going to do this weekend now…










Images from Domino

[.gothenburg.]

I didn't go to Gothenburg when I visited Sweden last month. Normally in my previous visits, I went there to see the sailing ship - the Gotheborg, or anything related to it. But this time when I found myself traveling in Sweden the ship was docked in Gävle. So there it was my destination.

How wonderful it was to see 'my' beautiful ship again! And she was as beautiful as always. Funny how I got certain 'emotional attachment' to this ship. And certainly I'm not the only one. Certainly and obviously! :-)

During that afternoon visit I got the chance to watch the movie from the ship's voyage reliving the historic route from Gothenburg to China and back in 2005 - 2007 (the ship stopped over in Jakarta for 10 days in June 2006, that's how I got to know her) - and toward the end of the film I was somehow stunned by the song accompanying the images of the ship's homecoming in Gothenburg. Then my Swedish friends there told me that the song was "Gothenburg" by Maia Hirasawa. In this internet age you know what I did then when I got home...searching the song in YouTube :-) Not only it is a really nice song, the clip was also stunning. Well, Ms Hirasawa, you've got one more fans...

[.zoom.]

Oh, how I love cameras with zoom!! That's how I managed to capture these two pictures of a deer and a fox last month in the Swedish country side. Boy, they are cute!!

[.back.in.jakarta.]

After 3 weeks in Sweden and France...here I'm back in Jakarta! :-)

I'm taking a rest now, and in a few days new graphics should be up.

In the meantime, I'm leaving you some pictures from my trip. See you soon!

SWEDEN

Gränna (and on the countryside around)







A pine forest within walking (and biking) distance from where we stayed in Mullhyttan - a pinecone collector like me could stay hours and hours here! :-)





A pretty place in Örebro called Wädkoping






Stockholm, view from southern part of the city





Stockholm, by the water




Visiting the Swedish Ship Gotheborg in Gävle






FRANCE

In the olive groves and vineyards of Provence







Sunflower field in Lorraine, France



on the way to visit Joan of Arc's birth place in Domremy la Pucelle




Sailing in Pierre Percee with my host family